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Prologue - The Battle of Waterdeep
Recap The party members (Krott, Milo, and Murdock) began their story at night in the Red-Eyed Owl, a tavern in the castle ward of Waterdeep owned by Young Haldar. They were strangers who found their way to the tavern by various means. With no prior warning, the ground shook and the group all heard the sounds of distant shouts and explosions. The tavern keeper asked them to step outside and investigate. On the street, they saw a hideous scene: Down the street outside, the group saw a tall figure that looked like a male elf with skin like tree bark. The bark-skinned elf ordered some twig creatures to swarm a lone guard of Waterdeep and slipped into the shadows. The group leaped into action to rescue the guard and dispatched a few of the creatures with arrows and fire before the rest scattered out of sight. The guard, Lieutenant Bain, thanked them for their help. Before they could get their bearings, the group heard the flapping of wings over the screams and clatter ringing throughout the city. A black dragon swooped down and breathed acid on a building, causing it to partially collapse into the street. Lieutenant Bain’s family had been taking shelter inside the building, and he implored the help of the adventurers to rescue them from the rubble. Milo and Murdock obliged, and the family was reunited. Trying to find a more secure place of shelter, the group went down an alleyway to another street. Milo was the first to see a confused crowd of civilians being set upon by some zombies, and he and Bain rushed in to help. Several civilians were lost, but the tide was turned with support from the adventurers. Meanwhile, up above the party on the castle ward’s wall, the group saw a dark figure wielding a black sword with incredible skill. The figure sliced its way through a group of guards, who struggled to escape by jumping down onto the rooftops and the streets below. By a stroke of luck, the adventurers noticed a cache of alchemist’s fire inside the magical supply shop below this phantom swordsman. Krott launched a bolt of fire at the barrels and blew the building to smithereens. The figure with the sword seemed to have been blown away by the explosion, but his fate was unknown. Perhaps drawn by the sound of the explosion, a segment of the invading army approached from down the street. They were armored and hooded in red, and were led by a deathly-looking wizard. The group heard him give an order to his subordinates: “Tell the giants to attack.” The terrified group attempted to flee, but the wizard teleported behind them and paralyzed Milo the halfling with a seemingly unstoppable spell. As if drawn to their location by prayer, a powerful angel appeared in a shaft of light. The angel urged the party to get themselves and Bain’s family to safety, and then engaged the red wizard in combat. Meanwhile, the sound of battle picked up for a short time, and a massive boulder smashed into a building nearby. Distracted and overwhelmed, the angel appeared to be losing the fight. From the rooftops, a magically amplified voice announced the arrival of another powerful figure. A human wizard wearing flashy red-and-green robes called for the red wizard to release the angel, and jumped down to join the fray. The tide appeared to turn once again, and the red wizard appeared frightened. After only a few moments of the magical duel, a flash appeared near the party. A floating skull wreathed in magical fire, with gems in its eyes emerged from a portal. This floating skull used unknown magic to drain the life force of the group’s would-be savior (the gregarious wizard apparently named Elminster). The floating skull looked the group over, and then turned to the cowering red wizard: “We got what we came for, Tarul!” A large dark portal opened, and the antagonists left through it, leaving the party behind unharmed. Soon the sounds of battle in the other parts of the city seemed to tail off. No longer paralyzed by fear, Lieutenant Bain was finally able to heed Murdock’s gruff requests and led the group to the last remaining safe place he could think of in the area. Bain led his husband, his two children, and the three valiant survivors through another alleyway and down yet another street to the only building seemingly untouched by the battle: The Yawning Portal Inn. Category:Recaps